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Stage Days 

in 

Brinifield 




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STAGE DAYS 

IN 

BRIMFIELD 

A CENTURY OF iMAIL 
AND COACH 






Mary Anna Tar be// 



Pr.c'V 



Copyright, 1909 

by 

Mary Anna Tar bell 



v6 »yuii 
„, 24r):}62 

SEP 2 1909 



^Z 



THt F. *. BASStrTE COMPANV 



«TEH8. SPHINQFieLD. MASSACHUSETTS 




THE discontinuance in September, 1907, of the stage line which 
for nearly 60 vears had transported the United States mails and 
attordeil conveyance tor passengers to and fnun liriinHeld, east 
and west, marked the close of an age which the survival of this 
line had prolonged beyond its general limits far into the modern era. 
The age of the stage coach, thus extended over more than a century of 
time, consisting of several periods, each possessing special characteristics 
and reasons for interest; while the line recently closed linked the old 
time with the present bv continuing at its beginning features of an earlier 
period, and reflecting toward its close the radically changed conditions 
of today. 

Naturally the line which continued this long age up to the arrival 
of the electric railway in BrimHeld, was not sought by travelers after the 
opening of the modern means of transit early in July, but the stage, 
suddenly deserted b\- people, continued to wind its way over the hills, 
looking like a relic of long ago with the cars flying past it, in faithful 
performance to the end of the mission intrusted to a grander predecessor 
in the days of stage-coach glory. 

With the passing of this mail route there is closed also an age of man- 
ners and customs relating to travel and transportation. For the South bridge 
and Palmer stage line, shortened to the Palmer and Fiskdale line in 1896, 
on the extension of the electric railway to Kiskdale, has served not only 
for carrying the mails and for the safe passage of countless travelers 
during its existence of over half a century, but also for the transportation 
of commodities in such variety as would form a stuily for the historian. 



STACK COACH DAYS 



1 he sitiKirion iii HimihiKl h;is jirisciittcl ;in iiistaiux- ot the sur\i\;il 
of a past age in rtspict to travel and transportation in one part ot a sec- 
ion where neighhoring towns long have been used to modern facilities; 
and it also has illustrated the continuance of the past in one phase of the 
life of a town which in nowise has lagged behind in social usages, educa- 
tional and literarv interests and industrious thriit. So while the new order 
is being welcomed the olil ought nor to pass unnoted and unreconled, 
since it is important in its individual history and significant in its relation 
to the history of stage-coach days in general, to which there will always 
cling a Hne flavor of romance. 

It was in 1850, when (jen. Fitz-Henrv Warren, a native of Hrimfield, 
was assistant postmaster-general, that the mail route from I'almer to 
Southbridge was established, giving the people of Hrimfield the advan- 
tage of a daily mail from New ^ Ork before Warren or West Brookrteld 
had such facilities. Previous to tliat time other and longer distance stage 
lines transported the BrimHeld mails. In 184S a ilaih stage from Warren 
to Stafford carried mails to BrimHeld, but this was not a leading route in 
the history of such enterprises and did not support a coach and four 
horses. Karlier than this two grand coach routes and mail lines crossed 
each other in BrimHeld; one between SpringHeld and Providence and 
the other between Hartford and Worcester. An earlier stage line between 
Hartford and Worcester ran through BrimHeld, but it is not known to 
have been a mail route. 

I he great post-route from Boston to Albany lay north of BrimHeld- 
and mail was Hrst carried to tin town b\- messengers from that route. 
In 1797 the mail stage left Boston three times a week, reaching Worcester 
at :; a. m., BrookHeld the second day at 10 a. m., and SpringHeld at 1 p. m. 
Ir is not unlikeK', however, that there was connection at diffennt times 
between this gnat post-route and Stafford, as the miiural waters there 
earh' attracted rra\tlers from BosKni. 

The Springfield and Providence Line 

While the "Citizens' line of stage-coaches" between Hartford and 
Worcester had a brilliant career from 18 ^4 to 1839, as many as 1 1 coaches 
having been counted daiK, at oiu- tmu' in its existence, the S|iringHeld 
and Pro\idence hne, opened in l8i^, was maintained f(U' a much longer 




THt wKsr »ric:k school-holsk 



period and was of more importance in stage-coach history. Calvin 
Hitchcock, the veteran merchant of Ware, now in his (.)^d year, dis. 
tinctlv remembers seeing the tine coaches on hotli hnes, drawn by tour 
and sometimes by six hoises, pass over the roads. The route ot the Spring- 
tield and Providence Hne lay through the section where his early boyhood 
was passed. From .SpringtieUi the course of the stages was first to North 
Wilbraham, then to Monson and trom there by a circuitous way to Brim- 
field. Between Monson and BrimHeld the route w-ent first over the hill 
now c;ilkil I'.ast hill, |iasf "'I'^lder" Lyon's house on the summit ot that 
hill to .Abner Nichols's mill situated in the valley where the residence 
of Miss Boorman now stands, [hence it was northeast across a rugged 
incline to the old wooden school-house standing about +00 teet southeast 
ot the present "West brick" school-house. 

From the school-house it went up the " Long hill," as the "old road " 
was called which was discoininued about iXfio. bur whose course is now 
and then discerned in the woods. Mr. Hitchcock remembers watching 
the coaches go past the school-house when he was a boy in that school, 
and past the house where he then lived, known more recently as the David 
Parker place. On either side of the school-house the stage-route lay 
through a wild region of hills and ravines, torming a broken mountain- 
side difficult of passage, but which in recent time the achievements of 
state highway and electric road building have subdued by marvelous 
fills ami cuts, though fortunately without destroying the picturesqueness 
of the region. Irs romantic interest is increased by the numerous foot- 
paths and carr-parhs crossing the wootkd hillsides and the disused, grass- 
grown roads by which the people ot former generations traversed the sec- 
tion, trying to make improved ways ot passage. 



8 STAGE COACH DAYS 

Such suggestive and pictures(]ue names as the "Gulf road" and the 
" Dungeon," by which the older people still designate localities, harmonize 
with the character of the region. Such difficulties of ascent to the level 
of Hrimfield village has this mountainside presented to modern methods 
of transit, that the old wav of travel has been kept up until now, and the 
history of a town vitalh' affected in consequence. 

After crossing the heart of this section and finishing the climb up 
the mountain, the Springfield stage found a level path through a pass in 
the high barriers that surround the Brimfield plateau, until it reached 
the Charles place; then it turned north of the present road, to go over 
the hill to the corner by the "Scjuire" Wales place. This was in ac- 
cordance with the old-time policy of stage-coach routes to mount the hills 
instead of going around them, because it was held that the course over 
the hill w^as the shorter. Afterward the philosophy of the Hrimfield far- 
mer who contended for the building of roads around the bases of hills 
came to prevail. His oft-repeated remark was, "I'll say agin as I've 
said afore, that the bail of a kettle is just as long standing up as it is 
laying down." Whenever it is noted that three roads followed the same 
general course between two points, it may be inferred that the one going 
over the highest part of a hill was built expressly for a stage-route which 
was intended to be an air line and which sometimes left a house that the 
first old road iiad wound up to in an accommodating maniur, literally 
"out in the lots." 

Of course, the earliest stages followed the oiiginal highways laid out 
at the settlement of towns, which went over the hills not only because the 
way seemed more direct, but for the sake of avoiding swamps and the 
bridging of streams. 1 he road built afterward around the hill and 
followed by the stage coaches of a later period is still called oftentimes 
the "new road," although it may have been built more than 50 years ago. 

The Hartford and Worcester Line 

1 he Hartford and Worcester "C'ltr/.iiis' hni" was an enterj^nse in 
which various towns took great interest ami which was made a post-route 
by Postmaster-Cieneral Hill. The line was established b\- a corporation 
composed of proprietors in the various towns from Stafford to HrookHeld. 
An interestuig document consisting of the articles of agreement of this 
corporation has been found recently and depositeii in the Hrimhild 
public library. I he preamble reads: 



IN BRIMFIELD 



" Ihf I lukrsigiucl, Owntrs and Proprietors of" the Citizens' Line of 
Stage-C'oaclus that run from Hartford to Worcester through I'.Ihngton, 
tlo for the well ordering and managing tlie affairs of the Concern, ordain 
and estahhsh the following articles of agreement." 

The articles were signed at Stafford, Ct., Fehruary 28, 1834, and the 
signatures are John Ilolton, Pardon Allen, Arnold Slocum, Elisha Peniber, 
Benjamin Salisl)ur\', Ir., lliomas Bolton, Daniel N. Green, Samuel 
Smitli, (lardner (iould, John \V. L tley, Kleazer B. Draper, Kli Hortf)n, 
E. B. I'ratt, B. & C. Adams (hy A. Work, Attorney), Thomas Pinks & 
Co., Erasmus Stehhins, Iv/.ekiel Walker, Aaron Kimball, [onas Esta- 
brook, larnsworth & Harris, [. \l. Warren. Brimfield and Stafford 
have the largest representation among the signers. There are II articles, 
covering nine pages of a record book relatingtoorgani/ation, management, 
expenses and profits. I be interest in the enterprise was divided into 
shares of $100 each. Ilu- line was divided into five sections, and the 
proprietors of each siction were to choose a director for that section and 
hold their annual meeting on the second Monday in September. The 
annual meeting of all the proprietors was held on the second Mondav 
in October. Ilie directors of all the sections constituted the boanl of 
directors. Article 7 specifies the duties of the clerk, and incidentally 
throws much light on the business details of the line. It reads as follows: 

"It shall be the dut\- of the clerk to furnish the President and each 
Director with a true and attested Copy of the articles of agreement annu- 
ally, within one month alter each annual meeting of saitl Proprietors. 
The clerk shall at all times be sidiject to the order of the board of directors 
in any business relating to the management of that part of the concern in 
which all the Proprietors have a common Interest, such as hiring and 
paying Agents, Bridge Toll, Drivers through the whole line, purchasing 
and repairing Coaches, Sleighs, Bells, Buffalo Robes, Advertising, etc. 
And to see that all money as Fare is properly receipted and to see that all 
moniv that shall be taken at the Ends of said line is deposited safely in 
the Bank to the Credit of the Citizens' Line Payable to said Clerk, and 
who shall pay the same over to the several Directors on demand according 
to the Mileage of each Section, after paving the Common Stock Debts 
and all other common stock expenses, and it shall further be the duty of 
the clerk to see that the Stages are run regularly, departing from each end 



10 STAGE COACH DAYS 

of said Line at such time as the board of Directors shall order and to 
regulate and see that a time Bill he printed on the back of each way Hill, 
and the hours of arrival and departure at each section, or Changing place 
be entered. It shall be the duty of the clerk to report to tin Bnard of 
Directors at their meetings, the amount of all Credits to saul l.iiu and 
debts against said line for mone\' ]iaid out on account ot expenses which 
shall have accrued on the Common Stock concern, and shall declare the 
dividend of any to each of said Sections according to their respective 
Mileage." 

Ihe clerk's compensation tor his services and all the responsibility 
entailed was specified as "one dollar per dav and his necessary expenses 
for the time he actualK' is emplo\e(l in the comjiain- business." 

.According to the Hiial article of agreement, no proprietor could sell 
his share or shares to a person not already an owner without the consent 
of a majoiity of the board of directors. When the variable conditions 
upiiii which the operation of a stage line (Upended anil thi' difficulties 
of corporate management of such a concern aie consi;leied, such carelul 
and detailed specifications as the above are not surprising. 1 In wontler 
is that rime scheduks could be so closeK' tolloweil and that passages 
were made with such safety, or that a stage-line concern could be man- 
aged with any degree of satisfaction. The duties, and especially the finan- 
cial relations, of the directors are prescriln-d in such a long antl miuLUely 
specified article that surely each director, while assured of his lusr dues, 
was confined within a straight antl narrow wa\, which ottered no means 
of escape into dtvious paths ot [nrsoiial privilege or private gam. In 
those days it is evidint that a conipaii\- took no chances with itself. It 
was a scrupulous age. 

The distance from HrimheKl to llarrtonl was calk-d 40 miles. 1 he 
route was divided into tour stagis or sections, about 10 miles to a stage, 
or "lick," with a change of horses at the end ol each stage. 1 he coaches 
nil tin llaillonl and Worcester Citi/eiis' line eiuered Hrimfielil b\ the 
present Waks road on tin ir way from Stafford, which was one ot tin- 
pku'cs where the horses were changed, and passed out of Hrimfiild to 
lirooktickl b\ Sherman pond, or (iieaf pond, as ir was then called, and 
through South Waiicn, which was rlun tin tliiiving business center of 
W am n. Mrs. J.miK \\ oods of \\ Orcestei ricalls sieing so many of these 



IN I) KIM FIE 1. 1) I I 



coachts pass tlu- old rtti school-hmist.- in rlu- Nnrtluasr liisnicr in Hriiii- 
ficlci. wlu-n slu- was a iliilcl at scliool rlurt.-, tliar "it sitnud almost like 
living in a city." 

This stage liiu had a ii\al and i()ni|nfitor in the "Kclipse" line, 
which ran through Stiirhridge, so that fares were reduced as low as $i.oo 
or Si. 50 hetween Hartford and Worcester. .Mention of toll charges is 
made in the articles of agreement of the Citizens' line, hut there were 
never an\- turnpike roads with tluir toll demands in Brimheld. The 
nearest turnpike was in Holland, over which tin- l-.clipsc line ma\- have 
run. 

A stage-coach line earlier than the Citizens' line went from Hartford 
to Worcester through BrimHeld, and its route, in accordance with the 
custom of hill climhing, was over Haynes hill from Wales to BrimHeld. 
1 here is no douhr that a numinr of stage routes la\- through Hrimhehl in 
early times of which all knowledge has vanished, and only a \ague hint 
remains. In some places they have hecome sections of present highways; 
elsewlure they may he discovered as discarded and overgrown roads 
or as useful cart paths. 

Interest of Long Abandoned Roads 

An oKI road, grass-grown and forgotten, now faintly traced and now^ 
disappearing altogether, is invested with mingled charm and awe. Mys- 
tery and scenes ot the imagination together hover over it. The whole 
countryside has hecome a palimpsest by the tracings of the roads and 
paths of succeeding generations. Old stage roads possess peculiar im- 
pressiveness because they connected far distant places and tell of the 
hra\iiigof long journeys in (]Uest of new scenes and ad\entures. 

1 here stands out from the dimness of supposition concerning the 
earliest stage routes through Brimfield the well-established tradition of 
a remarkable location o\er the ridge of the mountain west of the "Hol- 
low." In the ledge on the crest of the mountain, 1,000 feet above sea- 
le\el, are grooves in the solid rock which people now past middle life 
had pointed out to them in childhood in' their parents as having been made 
many years before by the wheels of stage coaches going from Boston to 
Hartford. .Measurements have found these grooves to correspond in 
distance a|iart with the width of the road which may be traced beyond. 




MILL POND AND MOUNTALN WEST OF THE "HOLLOW" 

I he wearing into the rock bed iiiav be accoiiiued for b\- the custom of 
chaining the wheels together in the absence of' brakes; hence in time the 
effects of a chiseHng process would be produced by the sliding wheels. 
Toward the west the road went through the Ballou woods and by the old 
Ballou house, once the home of a branch of the familv from which came 
the pioneers of the doctrine of Universalism. Forests have been cut down 
and have grown anew; houses have perished and their cellar holes have 
filled up; men have died ami their names have been forgotten; beliefs 
have been modihed and have taken new- forms; but the wheel ruts cut 
in the solid granite of the mountain have been preserved through the heat 
of summer and the frosts of winter in lasting witness to the intrepid and 
persistent spirit which littralU' cut the wav tor the prosperity of present 
generations. 



The Bugle-Heralded Coaches 

1 he passing by on the country roads of the loadeil coaches drawn 
by four and occasionally by six horses was a great source of entertainment 
to the people. The driver would wind a bugle — an art which was prac- 
ticed for musical effect — as the coach approached the village, to announce 
that it was Hearing the hotel, so that a relay of horses should be made 



IN r.KIMFIKI.I) 



13 




HOMK OF WILLIAM JANLS 



n';ul\' ;iii(l rlu- unuard p;is- 

sagf clihn fcl ;is I ir t U- as 

possible. 1 lu- liuijli- was 

played wirli Lsptcial skill li\ 

certain ciruers, and its notis 

were particularlvcHectivc- mi 

a still morning, at first 

faintly Heard in tlu' tlistancr, 

and growing loiukr and 

clearer as the stage rolled 

grandly in. Both the Springfield and Providence and the llarttord and 

Worcester lines changed horses at the Brinifield hotel, and a large 

nuniinr were kejit thire tor rela\s. It a coach arnveil ahoiir noon the 

driver and passengers would dine at the hotel while the horses were ted. 

Drivers took a proper pride in the appearance ot their horses as well as 

in teats ot rein-handling and the turning ot tinecur\es. 

The late William janes, who passed his entire lite in the (]uaint 
house next to the hotel, distinctly recalls the gay and exciting scenes 
attending thi' arrnal and de|)arture ot the stage coaches. One driver 
between Springtield and Providence, Frank Call, who prided himself 
on his skill as a reinsman, would come in with every horse on the jump 
and cut a marvelous circle in the hotel scpiare. He also phned the bugle 
well. Dana Scripture was a distinguished driver between Hartford and 
Worcester and added to his teats in driving unusual thoroughness in the 
care of his horses. He would demand the spending ot an hour daily in 
grooming each horse so that its coat would not soil a white silk hand- 
kerchief. "They shone so you could see your face in them," is said ot 
Dana Scripture's horses. Stage horses knew well their driver and his 
tricks and specialties, and they learned the roads well. This is illustrated 
by an incident on the Hartford and Worcester line. On the road near 
Stafford there lay a hollow between two hills, down the first of which a 
certain driver was accustomed to run his horses to get up speed tor the 
approaching ascent. One day a substitute driver was on, and not being 
initiated, was stricken with terror by this performance over which he had 
no control, supposing coach and contents were on their way to destruc- 
tion. " Hut the horses knew," said the relator of this story. 



14 STAGE COACH DAYS 

Grandeur of the Old Stage Drivers 

Stage drivers wcrt mt-n of ;iliilit\' and luld an importance all rluir 
own. They had to be skilful not only in the handling of horses but of 
people. They had keen practical sense for every emergency and con- 
stantl\- increasing intelligence concerning matters ot general interest. 
To forbearance and good nature must be added sympathy for, and in- 
terest in, people. Not only were they directly responsible for their load 
nt human beuigs, biu rhe\ accepted a responsibiht\' for tlupinjile through 
whose borders they passed, carrying to them news and messages and 
parcels with ever a word of good cheer. As his reward the able stage 
driver was like a ]Mince driving his coach and four through his own 
domains, and no mean privilege must it have been for the traveler to 
mount the steps to the coach's door and share in the glory of the grand 
equipage. I'roud indeed was the small bo\' who saw a big copper cent 
spin down to him from the fingers of the lordly driver, and off in a trice 
came his cap as he stared awe-struck at the loaded coach drawn by four 
white horses sweeping grandly on. 

Among the drivers between Hartford and Worcester, Dana Scripture, 
Dwight Johnson, Frank Johnson and Valentine Bond are recalled. 
Stage dri\ers of unusual ability became conductors on the railroads 
when they were opened. Arba Hyde of Stafford, now remembered as 
the veteran conductor on the Boston and Albany railroad, was once a 
stage driver and for a time ofhciated on the line from Stafford to Warren 
through Brimfield. 

We think of stage-coaching m the days of its glory as invested with 
romantic interest, without considiring wh\ this custom of transit de- 
veloped to such a height of favor and patronage for a certain period, 
so that from h to lo coaches loaded inside and out passed daily through 
Brimfield. It did not need a coach and four horses to carr\' the handfuls 
of mail, and the busy people did not spend much of their time in journey- 
ing to visit distant friends. W'hen the matter is looked into we find that 
the great devilopnunt of stage-coach travel in the second (|uarter of the 
last century was caused by the evolution of machinery and the establish- 
ment of manufactories, and also, near the middle of the century, b\ the 
building of railroads which called for connecting mutes across country. 
Most of the passingers who filled the coacbts and those whose tall beaver 



IN BRIMFIHLD 



hats niadf tlit- load on top so conspicuous and imposing, were business 
men rolling as rapidly as this method of travel would permit from one 
manufacturing town to another and making rluir wav to Boston and 
New "^'ork, the leading commercial centers. 

The fact that water-power had been so extensively developed in 
the section between Brimfield and Providence gave especial importance 
to the Springfield and Providence stage line as a means of travel. Ihis 
line also appears to have been the principal reliance for mail transporta- 
tion for at least 20 years. The exact time of the discontinuance of the 
Springfield and Providence line has not been ascertained, but it was prob- 
ably between 1844 and 1848. The line was in operation after the com- 
pletion of the Western railroad as far as Springfield, as a register used at 
the Springfield hotel — afterward the Exchange hotel — contains an entry 
of stage passengers for Providence on the last page of the book under 
date of 1840. As the Worcester and Providence railroad was not in- 
corporated until 1844, it is probable that the stage line in (]uestion carried 
mail from Springfield to Providence for some years after that. If the mail- 
carrying contract was made in 1823, the year the line was opened, and 
was renewed every fourth year the service might have been maintained 
until 1847. It is known that a mail team was running in 1848 between 
Stafford and Warren through Brimfield, and this route may have been 
maintained during a short interim between the discontinuance of the 
Springfield and Providence line and the opening in 1850 of its successor, 
the Palmer and Southbridge line, which followed the same course through 
Brniifield and Southbridge. 

Postmasters and Mail Service 

1 he Springfield and Providence may have been the earliest long- 
distance post-route of which Brimfield had the benefit, although the town 
had a post-office in 1806, the year after the earliest post-oflice between 
Worcester and Springfield was established at Brookfield. It was from 
the Brookfield office, situated on the grand jiost-route from Boston to 
Albany, that the mail was at first carried once a week to Brimfield, and 
there is no knowledge concerning the transportation of mail by the early 
Hartford and Worcester stage-coach line. When the weekly newspapers 
came to be eagerly anticipated, special messengers were hired to carry 
them to Brimfield from Warren where the stages had left them. The 
people of llollantl ami Wales obtaiiucl their mail from the Brimfield 
office. 



I 6 STAGE COACH DAYS 

I lif first piistmastir in l^ninfirlci was "Sijuir-" Stt-plicii I'xnchon. 
The pest-office was kept at Squire Pynchon's house, and tor a good 
many years a box tw-o teet square was large enough to hold all the mail. 
.\lar(]uis Converse was the second postmaster, receiving his appointment 
February 19, 1823, — the year the Springfield and Providence line was 
opened — and the office was kept in the hall ot his house, now the home 
of Charles S. Tarbell. \'er\' little space at the toot ot the stairs was 
needed tor this purpose, as the bulk ot mail was still small. The next 
postmaster is said to have been Porter Wales, who kept the office at his 
place of business, the old 'Corner store." At this time borh stage lines, 
the Springfield and Providence and the Hart.'ord and Worcester, were in 
operation, the first-named entering town by the Palmer road and the other 
b\' the Wales road, and thus intersecting at the corner store. Otis Lane 
succeeded Mr. Wales in business and as postmaster, receiving his ap- 
pointment in 1842. Dr. Asa Lincoln followed Otis Lane as postmaster, 
serving trom 184.5 '^" '850, and he is said to have kept the office at Ebe- 
nezer Williams's store, which occupied an extension of the house now- 
belonging to Mrs. John W. Morgan. Henry 1*. Brown, the next post- 
master, was landlord ot the Hrimfield hotel trom 1S50 to 1S52 and kept 
the post-office at the hotel where the Palmer and Southbridge stage 
stopped with the mail on its first trip. Mr. Brown's successor was George 
C. Homer, u ho continued to keep the post-office in the hotel. Nathan K. 
Robinson, appointed postmaster in 1853, kept the office in the dwelling 
now occupied by Dr. Sawin. in May, 1861, the stage as mail carrier 
again made the hotel its stopping jilace, as Silas C. Herring, wtm hail 
made over the old hotel into a beautitui structure, was appointed post- 
master that V*-'"' '"I'l kept the office in a room especially designed tor it 
in the remodeled building. In 1867 the post-office was moved into a com- 
modious room |)ro\ uled tor it b\' an extension ot the oKl corner store, 
then owned b\' )ames 1. Brown. Ilenr\ I'. Brown ncemd his stcond 
appointment as postmaster that \car, and st r\ ed rill iSSi, wlucli niaili' 
.Mr. Brown's entire ser\ice of 16 years longer than that of an\' other 
postmaster. John |- . Comtrse, who had bought the store, was appointed 
postmaster in i8Si,aiul lloratio L. Coiuirse, appointed in iSSS, kept tin 
office in the same placi- until [uK', iS(;2. 1 bus the stagis throughout 
the entire histor\ of mail routes in Brimfie Id sto])|U(l at rlu- coriur store 




ARRU Ai. OK THE COACH AT THE CORNER STORE 



through a longer (hirati m ot' tiiiu' than at am <ithir plact-. On the 
appointment ot Albert W . I'lerson as postmaster in iS(.;i the post-oHice 
was moved to an extension of his house, where it remained until January, 
1907, when the present postmaster, Fred T. Parker, appointed in Xovem- 
her, 1906, moved it into the quarters it now occupies in an addition to his 
residence. Here it was on September 14, 1907, that the last stage o{ the 
long succession stopped for the last time with its important burden, and in 
strange contrast to the gay entry of grand coach with prancing horses and 
sounding bugle, took its departure unmourned and unnoted, to complete 
the journev whose termination should divest forever both conveyance 
and route of the official importance and sacred dignity conferred by the 
great and glorious governnu nt ot the I nited States. 

The small (]uantu\ ot mail carried In the coaches of the earlier 
periods was in marked contrast to the grandeur of the ec|uipage; but the 
importance of letters, forming as they did the sole and intre(|uent connec- 
tion between friends enduring the separation not onl\ ot distance, but 
of difficulty of travel and communication, cannot be realized. 1 he con- 
tents of the mail bags differed t'rom those of the present time in appearance 
as well as quantitv. letters were written on letter-size sheets ot paper, 
which were folded and sealed and sent without envelopes or stamps, the 
anmunr of postage being marked in the right-hand u|ijHr corner insreail. 
Rates of postage were according to distance tor single letters, the rates 
being doubled for double letters. 1 hev were an e.xpensive joy at the 
lowest, and were not to be lightK' dispatcheii. 



1 8 STAGE COACH DAYS 

Ihe cliargfs, however, were more ofren paid hv those receiving the 
letters than hy the senders, and people were allowed to keep an open 
account with the postmaster. An account at the Brimfield post-office 
shows a hill of a year's standing. A record in 1835 at that office shows 
charges of six cents, 10 cents, 12^ cents, i8j cents and 25 cents for one 
letter. For two letters there were charges of 16 cents, 20 cents, 284 cents 
and 47^ cents. Both weight and distance appear to have heen calculated 
in the charges. One cent was charged for a paper, five cents for three 
papers. In one account a well-known citizen is charged i8f cents for 
"l letter for Lydia," who is recorded as the fortunate recipient ot a num- 
ber of letters quite regularly at the same cost. As this Lydia became 
the wife of John W. Foster, one of the earliest American geologists, it 
may be surmised that the letters were from her betrothed. It should be 
mentioned that these post-office accounts are kept on rlie closing pages 
of the book containing the articles of agreement of the Hartford and 
Worcester Citizens' line of stage-coaches, in accordance with the custom 
of utilizing any paper that could be found. It would be interesting to 
know why this book happened to be at the Brimfield post-office. The 
post-office at East Brimfield was established in 1858, and Major Krastus 
Lumbard was the first postmaster. For a short time there was a post- 
office at Foskett's mill for that neighborhood and Farksville. Afterward 
the contents of a small Palmer mail sack were distributed from tbi mill. 

History of the Southbridge and Palmer Line 

W harever ma\ have been rbc wonders and achievements of stage 
coaching in the earlier perioiis, no line ever held a more important rela- 
tion to the local community or possessed finer associations than the one 
whose recent termination closed the age so remarkably prolonged in its 
section. 

Ibis line was opened about the time of the completion of the New 
London Northern railroad to Paliiur. Capt. Alonzo N. Dewev of Palmer 
was the |)i<>[)rirr()r who gave riu- line its early disrinction, although he 
may not have been tlu first nwiu r; while he also made it a mail route. 
Captain Dewey was a man of iiukIi business ability, directed especially 
in the interests of the traveling puhiu. He had previously opened two 
hotels in Palmer, and srartrd a stage line from .Stafiord to Palmer, whiih 



IN HRIMFIKI.D IQ 



he extended to Ware and Uarre in 1S50, about the time he owiud rhe Vme 
from Pahiier to Southhridge. 1 he last-mentioned route was from the 
railroad station and post-office at Pahiier " Depot " through Brimheld 
and Sturbridge to the post-office at Southhridge. Until the opening of 
the New England railroad to Southhridge in 1866 the mail was carried 
from that town to Wehster and Charlton hv stages. Captain Dewey put 
on to the Southhridge line a large splendid coach, one of the best ever used 
on the stage routes, drawn by tour fine horses, all making a grand appear, 
ance. This was a thorough-brace Concord coach of the style built first 
in 1827 in Concord, N. H., and which has been called "the only perfect 
passenger vehicle for traveling that has ever been built." The same style 
of stage continued to be used until the latter part of the history of the line 
when constantly decreasing patronage, owing to changed conditions of 
business and travel, caused the large coach with its four, and occasionally 
six, horses to be reduced to a small one drawn by only two horses, and 
finally to give way to a humble, plain covered wagon without pretension 
to beauty, nor always to comfort. The importance of the stage of the 
original schedule was also reduced by the addition of an extra mail wagon 
daily over the same route. The length of the Palmer and Southhridge 
route was 1 8 miles, which Brimheld divided into two stages, the horses 
being always changed there when the large coaches were in use. 

Among the drivers of the early period were Andrew L. Holt, a Mr. 
Pebbles, Valentine Hond, Addison Bradley, Reuben Underwood, Chaun- 
cey Olds, Frank Angel, Austin Shepard, "Jake" Barton, Perlin Turner, 
Salem Welds, Andrew Hooker, Dwight Johnson, "Jake" Haywood, 
James Madigan and Samuel Gould. Andrew Holt, who is now living 
in \\ orcester and is 86 years old, drove Captain Dewey's stage on its first 
trip. Mr. Pebbles was the first regular driver, but Mr. Holt, who often 
substituted on various lines because of his experience and skill in the 
art of stage-driving, was employed to instruct Pebbles for two weeks. 
Mr. Holt describes Captain Dewey's grand turnout on its Hrst appearance 
as drawn by four beautiful dapple-gray horses with long wavy manes 
and tails, and the coach as large enough to hold twelve passengers 
inside. Mr. Holt's reminiscences of stage-coach days from rhe time that 
he commenced driving between Springfield and Palmer in his fourteenth 
year would form an interesting chapter. 




THE AFTKRiNOON COACH ON THE PLAIN 



"X'al" Bond, who iistd to polish Dana Scripture's horsts, is said to 
have introduced the hiijfle on this line. Mr. Bradley hecame a high sheriH. 
Mr. l^nderwood had athletic powers, and the story is told that he could 
stand on the ground and )ump (i\tr a Ikusi- with one spring. Irank 
Angel is now living in \\ ilhrahani anti is a veteran ot the Ci\ il war. 
Salem Welds was an owner and skilful driver. " Perl" Turner is one of 
the earh' drivers who are hest reiiunihered. .Afterwards came Walter 
C'laHin, I), v.. Burterwiirth, Kdwiii Streitir, Otis C'olnirn and Needham 
-Moulton. "Sam" ("lould was the owiiir and driver with whom the 
Soutlihridge and I'alnier stage is espccialh ideiitiheil in the memories 
of mam |Hople. i'.dwin Streeier was tiu' druer who escaped with a 
broken leg wiieii a wheel came ofl the stage as it was going down a lull 
n the Sturhridge road, — an acculint which fornur school pupils who 
were ( n ihi- stagi' ncall with wdiulei thai tliiir Inis were spared. < )wiurs 
besides those mentioned were, Silas C". i lirring, W alter Claflin, |. Wells 
Draper, .Amos Munnu- and 1). I.\(rttt Hutti rworfb ; and owners and 
dri\irs later on wen-, Abraham I'rospir. |ames ( !i-orgi- and Sons and 
W . C". Kenyon and Sons, the last-named being the owners when the 
line was discontinued. )ames (leorge and his sons, Walter, (leorge 
and llirbert, as drivers co\eit(l a period of about twelve years. The 






r"i 



llJlTiii 



THK HOTKL OK sta<;k-c:oa(:h days 







WAITINC; FOR THE PASSENGERS 



22 STACH COACH DAYS 

Kenyon brothers and Harry Thompson were youthful drivers during 
the hist of the stage's career. I o the last name belongs the distinction 
of closing the list which it is impossible to give in its completeness. 

Although the conveyance, as well as the line, received its name from 
the terminal points of the route, its importance belonged especially to 
Brimfield life, and in the associations of people it chieHv figures as the 
" Brimfield stage," inseparably connected with memories of that town. 
It was interwoven with the life of a people peculiarly dependent upon it, 
and with the interests of friends outside the town. Cherished sentiments 
are revived by recollections of the Brimfield stage. Perhaps the most 
characteristic of these associations calls up the imposing figure of the 
genial host and type of the old-time landlord, Uncle Amos Munroe, 
standing on the porch of the Brimfield hotel to greet arriving guests or 
wave a farewell to those departing. And joined with this is the memory 
of the motherly hostess, Mrs. Munroe, offering in summer to the thirsty 
traveler a cup of cold water, or in winter leading the way to her cozy 
sitting-room. 

The arrival of the afternoon stage at the post-office where old and 
young had congregated in eager anticipation of its coming, and the dis- 
tribution of the mail it bore, made that place the exciting social center 
of the otherwise sleepy village. 

Boys and Girls of the Hitchcock School 

The history of the Southbridge and Palmer stage is closely related 
to that of the Hitchcock Free Academy, since it furnished daily transpor- 
tation for jMipils troiii file time of the establishment of the school in 11^55. 
At one time about 20 pupils from Southbridge, Sturbridge, I'lskdale and 
?,ast Brimfield well-nigh took possession of the coach, which, arriving at 
nine o'clock, would unload before the school \ard a subdued company of 
boys and girls weighed down with books and dinner baskets, and return- 
ing at four o'clock, received a hilarious crowd, plunging inside and clam- 
bering to tilt fop. Should the school's program be disturluil In changes 
in the stage's schedule or irregularity in its time, all deference was paid 
to the situation; for the arrival and departure of the "stage scholars" 
received the respect due to recognized iinporraiice. Also in tin- village 
these occurrences were two notable events of tin- day. It was troni the 



m n u 'iiis' 




THE 0RK;INAL building of the HITCHCOCK FREE CiRAMMAR SCHOOL 




THE PRESENT HITCHCOCK FREE ACADEMY 



24 STAGE COACH DAYS 

li)acifd coach at the beginning ot the year that teachers and pupils ob- 
tained their Hrst impressions of the place which was to be the scene of 
their labors and activities, and it was the coach that bore them impres- 
sively away, waving their farewells to those who turned with reluctant 
steps to the lonely pursuits of a deserted village. 

The Simple Worshiper of the Stage Coach 

No sroi\' of the Hrimfield stage woukl be coniiilete without nuiitioii 
of the Hrimfield character to whom, throughout his life, the stage repre- 
sented the glory of the world and the joy of existence. In his boyhood 
days the horses were changed at his father's barn, and the sense of pro- 
prietary interest then begun, humored by good-natured drivers, strength- 
ened as he grew to the age of manhood but still retained the mind of a 
child. 1 he driver was ever his liege lord, and the privilege of helpintj 
with horses, or trunks, was no less an honor than to belong to a royal 
retinue. Indeed, there was summed up in this regard the importance, 
the romaiuH- and the grandeur with which the stage coach in all its his- 
tory has been invested, — a tribute both to the (juality of the object so 
esteemed and to the capacity for admiration and honor common to man- 
kind in all stages of development. And as the years went by and his 
figure became a picturesque landmark, softened by the pathetic grace of 
age, these who knew his story thought with reverence of that loyalty and 
devotion which, though less ardently manifested with the decline of life 
and the decay of the stage's grantleiir, never to the vnd suffered surrender 
or betrayal. 

As the i'almer and Southbridge mail route had branches from the 
BrimHeld post-( ffice to tlnise of Wales and Holland, the scene of the 
arrival of the stage in Brimheld included the mail wagons from those 
places patiently awaiting the mail bags, ami taking in the passengers 
who had descended from the coach to journey still farther over country 
roads whatever the weather or traveling. These mail wagons of various 
styles through the years also conveyed many pupils to and from the 
Academy. .Among the drivers of the Wales mail team, an original char- 
acter, Darwin or " l)ar" Shaw, is especially remembered for his long and 
faithful service. 1 here are many old scholars who rode with him who 
recall his kindness as well as his white horse, and are sorrier now than 
they were then for the lameness which in his latir life imprisoned him in 
the wagon as he waited for his lively passengers. 



IN BRIMFIELD 



Transverse Lines 

\\ hill- rlu- liirct-tinn of tin- lonmst inainraiiud ami must iiiiporraiu 
staf^c routes tlinnif;;!! lirimtitltl was cast and west — the Spiingheld and 
Providence and tlie I'alnur and Soutlibridge lines together tastinfj about 
80 V't'ars — there were a nundnr of transverse lines throuiih the town at 
different times. In earl\' days these routes were through Briniheld to 
HrookHeld,or through that town to Worcester, and to Warren. The last 
of these transverse lines was established between Wales and West Warren 
by Samuel (lould in .April, 1874, and continued till .March, 1877. I he 
drivers were Mr. Kendall, Charles Craft, Needham Moulton and Dwight 
iiarnes. Charles Ihompson bought the line of Mr. (Jould and changed 
the route so that it connected with the Boston and Albany railroad at 
Palmer instead of West Warren. Succeeding owners were William 
Preston, John W. Draper, D. Everett liutterworth, John I.iinibard, 
Prank Traverse, Mr. Dalrvmple, Jason Palmer and George Dimmick. 
It is with Mr. Dimmick, who was owner and driver from 1887 to iqoo, 
that the Wales stage, as it was called, is principally identified. Leaving 
BrimHeld at the early hour of b.^o and returning in the evening, it gave 
the opportunity of spending an entire day at the county seat, or even ot 
a flight to Boston with the |iossibility of returning to the hill eyrie at a 
seasonable time before the ringing of the curfew. 

Scenes of the Southbridge and Palmer Route 

Throughout its course of 18 miles the route that was followetl b\ the 
Southbridge and Palmer stage is one of unusual interest, lying through 
a succession of scenes that form a remarkably complete representation 
of New England landscape and life. Nature in her tliversity shows all 
varieties of scenery. Two beautiful rivers, both perpetuating Indian 
names, the (^uinabaug and (^uaboag, are distinctive features of the land- 
scape in the western and eastern parts of the route. Broad grein meatlows, 
fertile Helds and stretches of plain combine with wooded hills, rugged 
ledges and the forest solitudes. Ihere are winding brooks in the mead- 
ows and rushing streamlets through wdd ra\ ines. 1 here are broad 
and inspiring views of near and distant hills. Here are the homesteads 
of well-tilled farms and close at hand Nature in her untamed and lonely 
aspect reigns. 




THE WALES STAGE WHEN OWNED BY GEORGE DIMMICK 




FOSKETT'S MILLS 



IN BRIMFIELD 



•/ 



On its morning nip the sragc-, having passed through the long street 
of the hiisv mill village of I'iskclale, left hehind the whirr of" machinerv 
to pursue Its course along the jieacelul meatlows ol the (^uinahaug; then 
if runu-d aside to rhi- post-office of Kast BriniHeld, going past the little 
ludwn ehureh .md ilowii the road between the two rows of neat dwell- 
ings, where as in oKim tuni's a single industr\' on the river's hank atiords 
occupation for a homogeneous neighborhood. After the stage had 
saf'el\- made rlu tlescent of " lireakneck " hill, |iassed through Hrimfielil 
village and across the "plain," and rolled swifth' down the Hrimfield 
mountain or "long hill," it drew up to " Foskett's mill" to receive a tiny 
mail-bag and refresh the horses with drafts of clear spring water from 
tin hills. Ihough [lassengers could sometimes hear the noise of the mill- 
stone turned by the water of historic I'Jbow brook, grinding the farmers" 
corn, the old-time grist-mill had caught the spirit of new enterprise through 
the western ga|i and become a thrift\' gram mart to suppK the net-ds of 
the section from distant and richer Helds. 1 he picturesfiuely-set cluster 
of Foskitt's mill and near-by houses marked the transition from the wild, 
mountainous region to the level stretches of the (^uahoag \alK\ with its 
fertile farms, varied activities and connection with the world. lo the 
occupants of the old-fashioned stage-coach a new region opened ahead — 
e\en the bortlers of the widi- world; for, in the near distance, poured 
the smoke of the locomotive, and the swiftly rushing train, an unwonted 
sight ami thrilling to behold, swept into clear view. Behind and be\'ond 
the mountain were the (piitr lifi- and the calm and rhouglutul pursuits 
continued from the past; before and stretching far onward were flu- 
scenes and the interists of the modern world and the new age. 

Characteristics of Towns and Villages 

rile towns aiul villages of the loufe are t\ jhs characteristic of New 
I nglaiid. I'alnui "Depot," when Captain l)ewe\'s first stage-coach 
started out, had just come into existence with its score or more of iiou.ses 
set in the green fields. It was the creation of a junction of railroads, and 
tlu' stages of later wars jiassed along the main street of a bustling business 
center, the seat of trade for the countrv-side and near-by niill villages. 
Southbridge, at the other end of the route, illustrates the marvelous growth 
and transformation that so man\ fowns have experienced through the 
ilevelopment of power manutacrurini:. In the half-century of their arrival 




THE BRIMFIELD CHURCH 




^'■^' 



/^■^: 



^^^mm MW|ijwi«3iiii "^s^" 



SIITm 



-A 



THK GEN. EATON MANSION 




FROM THE LONG HILL TO THE QUABOAG VALLEY 

and dtp. lit lire the stages u itntsst-d flu- di\ tlopnunr of prospcritv through 
a grtat varittv of important indiistrits and also saw a town of less than 
3000 inhabitants of pure New Kngland stock (|uadriiplcd bv the addition 
of people of other nationalities. Stiirbridge and Brimfield represent the 
preservation of the perfect type of the old New Kngland town, holding 
unchanged the spirit of the past with its dignity and repose. Their scenes 
to wliK'li the stage-coach was fittingK' related, have remained essentially 
unchanged, ^'ear in and year out the stages passed along the beautiful 
village green and under the overarching trees, by the well-kept and (juaint 
dwellings, with now and then a stately mansion, of each of these sister 
towns, the white spire of the church of the fathers rightly set on a hill 
overlooking the way and dominating the scene. In its latter days the 
stage witnessed a new manifestation of the continuing welfare and inward 
progress of these old towns, in spite of the arrest of their outward growth, 
in their public libraries, beautiful, characteristic, impressive, uniting 
the past with the pnsent as memorials, and perpetuating and enlarging 
the interists and ideals of former generations. 



The Long Hill Road 

The passage of the Long Hill road, which winding for a mile climbed 
ttie ascent of the rough mountainside that lifted from the Q_uaboag 
valley to the level of the HrimHeld plateau, was the distinctive feature 
of the route between Palmer and Brimfield. A long mile indeed seemed 
the ascent. I he descent was speedy and sometimes exciting; but in spite 




THE APPROACH TO THE VILLAGE 



of the absence of brakes in the earher years, and the fact that drivers 
were in the habit of taking loads ot 20 passengers at full speed down the 
hill, no acciileiit ever occurred. The only approach to catastrophe was 
when the load was light and a lone passenger suffered violent contacts 
of Sunday bonnet or beaver hat with the roof of the stage, as the vehicle 
bounded over the " fhank-you-nia'anis " or water bars with winch the 
road was generously provided. 1 he driver, while duly conscious ot his 
responsibility tor lite and limb, scorned to consider the danger of injured 
headgear or wounded pride, even it he did not sonutinies take a little 
wicked pleasure in exercising his command of the situation. There was 
real peril in winter, however, on a section ot the first "old road" between 
tlu- "plastered house" and the school-house, when it was ic\'. 1 hen the 
heavily-loaded coach descending the ice-coated road was in danger of 
sliding off into the ravine below. At such times a pair of oxen was kept 
in readiness to In- hitched b\' the \i)ke to the hind axle ot the coach while 
the owner ot the oxen by a dexterous wielding of his whip would skilfully 
manage this curious combination of brake and rudder until the descent 
was safely accom|ilislu-d. \ morning rule m siimnur down the l-ong 
Hill gave to one who had gained the coveted top seat a glorious exaltation 
of spirit. I'he scenery was at first picturescpie and then grand. At the 




THE VILLAGE SQUARE 



luginning of tlic dcscfiit the traveler looked down on either hand into 
the deep ravines with their rusliing hrooklets hordered h\ the tangle of 
file wildwood. I'arther on there opened to view a nohle panorama ot 
lofty hills raising their forest-clad cones against the western sky. 1 he 
exhilaration of motion through the morning air, the sense of sharing in 
Nature's renewal, atul of companionship with her grandeur gave a new 
infusion of the jov of living, while the world seemed freshly created. 

it was a different matter to toil up the sandy road of the same Long 
Hill after panting horses on a hot August afternoon or to climh u|i the 
long stretches on foot after dismounting to lighten the load. But there 
were compensations in the reward of wayside heauties and the unaccus- 
tometl nearness to Nature in her solitude and wildmss. \\ hen roads 
were poor and the tediousness ot the long hill seemed to stretch over the 
entire route, there were the tales of friendly drivers to heguile the weari- 
ness ot the iourne\-. 

No entrance of trolley car can ever compare in impressiveness with 
the arrival of the afternoon coach in Brimtield. In the late afternoon of 
a summer's da\ children watched with fascinated gaze the golden column 
of sunlit dust which instead of the hugle of old heralded the approach of 
the stage-coach tar ott on the western plain, until the coach itself came in 
sight like a chariot in a cloud of glory. When the coach turned from its » 
course with what hreathless anticipation was it awaited till it should draw 



32 STAGE COACH DAYS 



up to the gate with the eagerlv-looked-tor visitor who had thus com- 
passed these last and longest miles of journeying out of devotion to the 
oKl hoiiH- or the claims of friendship. No matter how far the newer and 
swifter means of travel had brought the loved ones, it was the stage-coach 
that was honored and blessed for bringing them at last to the heart's own 
welcome. 

As the stage-coach came into sight over the hills and from out the 
windings of the country roads, it appeared to the beholder something 
far different from a device for locomotion propelled b\- mechanical forces. 
Something more than a means of conveyance was approaching; for a 
stage-coach was instinct with associations and it even seemed invested 
with life and personality. And to the traveler, a stage-coach ride was not 
merely a convenient way of being transported over distances. It was a 
true progress of which he formed a part, because the progress was by 
living forces and animated by will and intelligence. Horses, coach, 
driver and passengers became one in a common impulse, together pre- 
vailing in exultant freedom over the stationary, inanimate world and dull 
stay-at-home existence. 

Hut alas! the day came when the stage-coach was no longer esteemed 
by the traveler as a fit expression of his increasing power and dominion. 
Its glory waned and it fell from its high estate. Then when it became 
a humble and homely vehicle with horses impressed into plodding service 
instead of elected to a proud career, the estrangement became complete. 
With the vanishing of united purpose and pride the journey became a 
tedious passage instead of a triumphant progress. In common with all 
history, stage-coaching had seen its golden age. lor the times had 
changed. The era of new achievements, of speed and unrest in doing 
and living and traveling had developed. Swif"ter means of transit super- 
seded the pictures(|ue stage-coach, and the route over the BrimHeld hills 
was no longer the thoroughfare of yore. Travelers followetl the easier 
lines of passage and turned aside less and less to the hill-encircled village 
with its refined life and quiet pursuits. The departure of material pros- 
perity and diminishing population caused the old town to be no longer 
the attracting center of the section. Because of the increasing oppor- 
tunities everywhere for education, the time-honored academy was no 
longer sought by those far from the boundaries of Brimfield. Thus it 
came to pass that the latter-day means of travel in the lowly guise which 




WHERE MARyUIS CONVERSE KEPT THE POST-OFFICE 



st'fiiuti almost to rol) the lainlsca|K- of its glories was all that conditions 
of industry and of li\ing, — forever making their inevitahle adjustments, 
would permit to exist. The Hrimfield stage was not ot the present age 
and world, and yt-'t it continued to make its passage daily with its few 
unwilling occupants, continuing in the service of the government, while 
the favor of travel gradually declined. 

The passing ot an institution, a custom or a career, however advan- 
tageously it may be displaced, should not be slightingly regarded. The 
representative of more than a half-century of two-fold service so inter- 
woven with the life of a people, witnessing such developments and sharing 
such changes, now passed forever from sight and soon to pass from mind, 
should not be thought of merely as a pathetic survival of the unfit, but 
considered with reverence as faithfully fulfilling to the end a sacred com- 
mission from the past. 




THE PASSING OF THK Ol-D-TIMK (;()AC:H 



H 73 /8 




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